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March 06, 1986 - Touring Moores WoodsPage 14 The 'Siiffolk:Time's Touring Moores Woods By PAUL STOUTENBURGH It was one of those days when Feb- ruary lets you have a glimpse of what's to come. Between the snow and the cold and the cloudy weather that February usually brings, Barbara and I took off for a walk in Moores Woods in Green - port. This ancient forest is probably the most precious woodland on the North Fork. There had to be a reason for man to overlook this area in his quest for progress. We found the answer as soon as we entered the woods from the south, just off Route 25 outside of Greenport. Water was everywhere, and in some places it poured in rushing streams across the old dirt road we walked upon. This is clay country. Later, as we got off the beaten path and into the woods proper, the underly- ing clay layer was to show itself more dramatically by the uprooted trees left by hurricane Gloria. Tree after tree showed the same story. Huge eight -to- ten foot pie plate masses of roots thrust up with their huge trunks of beech, oak and tulip laid prone on the ground, their alignment showing the direction Gloria had roared through them. There was no deep- rooted system; rather, it seemed that all the roots were concentrated in a thin section of topsoil above the clay. Stability for the huge mass of limbs and leaves was made by this pie- shaped mat. Whether their roots could not pen- etrate the clay, I could not say. More likely the roots spread through the sur- face soil to capture the nutrients, as there is little nutrient in clay. Tornado Damage? In one section it seemed as if a tor- nado had struck, for the trees down were concentrated more heavily there. It must have been a terrifying sight to see, tops of trees being ripped off, while others were uprooted and laid down as if some great hand had pushed them all over at once. Yet as we stood there we could look up and see holes to the sky above. Later in the summer, when the canopy of leaves covers this woodland, these windows of sunlight will nourish new trees and in time will heal the wounds of the great hurricane of 1985. The woods were wrapped in winter's brown of dead leaves. These dead leaves will soon start their slow process of decay as the warmer months move in. These very nutrients of past years' growing will enable the richness of the soil to produce giant trees. The cycle of life never stops. We did see old faithful of the wet woods throughout our walk- - the skunk cabbage. Some had their in- conspicuous flowers already awaiting pollination by early flying insects. They are the first to be pollinated, for soon the green canopy will cover and the CLOSED ( �,�` MONDAYS .-J. 1 4 — WEDNESDAY Corned Beef & Cabbage $795 THURSDAY Linguini with white or red clam sauce $750 Focus on Nature huge green leaves of the skunk cabbage will smother them. Here and there were traces of ice on the vernal ponds that sparkled like newly - polished mirrors, each reflecting the world about them. We looked for salamander eggs but saw none. Perhaps we were a bit too early. We'll try later next month at night, particularly after a rain. We should find the big black and yellow spotted salamander that lives in these enchanted woods Hawk Tries for Chickens On a different note, I must relate the excitement that ran through our living room the following morning when we were visited by a red - tailed hawk. If you've been the slightest bit alert you've seen this big hawk hunting throughout our area during this past winter. Years ago we'd see one or two of these big hawks all year long. Now I dare say with a little luck you can see one every day. What has happened? DDT has been banned and pesticides are being used with more control. So the hawks are reproducing better. We also have more land left unused, which makes hunting for mice that much easier. It's like the chickadee coming to your feeder. The hawks know where the food is. This particular red tail has been working our back fields for some time, and I wondered when he'd move up to look over our chickens. Well, that day he came in like some out -of- control bomber. These big hawks usually hunt over open fields where they can attack rodents unhampered. My chickens scratching in the woods made a difficult target. When he made his first pass they all took cover at once. Four went under the big evergreen tree in the front yard and the rest stayed in the woods. One lone black one was caught outside the fence of the pasture and ran back and forth trying to gain safety on the other side. Time and time again the big hawk would swoop in and try to get at that black chicken, but to no avail. The fence and trees completely disoriented him. He'd perch on a limb right outside our window to check below then go on to try again. Flying in close quarters fi- nally made him give up, and he left for a less frustrating arena. Then, one by one, the chickens under the evergreen tree poked their heads out, looked around and ran as fast as FAMILY RESTAURANT Main Road, Cutchogue 734 -5155 OPEN 3:30 PM TUES.-FRI. - SAT. & SUN. 11:30 AM -11 PM SATURDAY 11:30 a.m. -4 p.m. Pot Roast, Flounder, Chicken or Veal Parmesan $5 95 SUNDAY Fresh Ham, Pot Roast, or Flounder Scallops $695 $895 (Above $1.O0 more after 4 lmn.) All above served with salad, dessert and coffee. March 6, 1986 Fhoto by Paul Stoutenburgh VERNAL POND - -Small wet areas such as this often are mistaken as useless because we do not realize their natural potential as a breeding ground for salamanders, frogs, toads and a multitude of smaller crea- tures. they could for the woods. It was comical to see. No sooner had the hawk gone than the chickadees were back at our feeder. I'm sure someone in their world sent out an "all clear" and the normal routine of food gathering was begun once again. Our chickens scratched, chickadees flew away with sunflower seeds and the woodpecker was busy at the suet. Photo by Judy Ahrens BIRD CROSSING -- Spring fever is the best explanation we can think of for this swan trying to cross the Main Road at Bay Avenue earlier this week.